Country Music

Post in here about country, alt-country, whatever.

Don't post in here if you're gonna say it sucks. It is ok to say mainstream Nashville sucks, though, that should be obvious.

I am currently listening to a very rough first draft mix that I hope to refine and make into a sort of Very Brief and Very Personal History of Country Music That I Like. Byrds --> Gram --> Townes --> Emmylou --> Joe Ely --> Steve Earle --> Lucinda Williams, etc etc, probably detouring through 80s cowpunk and 90s No Depression bands, and then bringing it to Gillian and Neko and I don't know what else. When it is finished it will be a much sought after collector's item.

Re: Country Music

I saw this really good alt country act at this country fest I loaded out a few months back. Their name was Ms. Willie Brown if I remember right. The 2 female vocalists were really attractive & talented.

Re: Country Music

Can we expand this to Depression-era Americana and all things tangentially related to country? If so, I saw a show in SF that was some jug band and Frank Fairfield and then I left before the last act but hot damn it was amazing. I love all of the old school country and anything involving fiddles or banjos.

Originally Posted by bmack86

Has anyone gone on a date with a sandwich recently? What base did you get to? Ham?

Re: Country Music

Originally Posted by miscorrections

Can we expand this to Depression-era Americana and all things tangentially related to country? If so, I saw a show in SF that was some jug band and Frank Fairfield and then I left before the last act but hot damn it was amazing. I love all of the old school country and anything involving fiddles or banjos.

Re: Country Music

Re: Country Music

Originally Posted by Dale Gribble

Yeah, I guess it is more blue grass. I'm basically looking for old country/blue grass albums. 1920's, 30's, 40's old.

Well, I can't place anything that old at the moment. But newer blue grass that comes to mind is Chatham County Line, Allison Krauss and Union Station, Northern Border Bluegrass Band, Pickin' On Series (bluegrass covers of Modest Mouse and stuff like that), The Nashville Bluegrass Band. I listen to a lot of local bluegrass bands. Don't know a ton of big ones.

Re: Country Music

Originally Posted by TomAz

I am currently listening to a very rough first draft mix that I hope to refine and make into a sort of Very Brief and Very Personal History of Country Music That I Like. Byrds --> Gram --> Townes --> Emmylou --> Joe Ely --> Steve Earle --> Lucinda Williams, etc etc, probably detouring through 80s cowpunk and 90s No Depression bands, and then bringing it to Gillian and Neko and I don't know what else. When it is finished it will be a much sought after collector's item.

The artists you mentioned are great... other than that I don't really know Ely and only know a little from the two surrounding him.

My mix would include some Waylon Jennings and probably a lot of quasi- or alt- or country-influenced artists such as Will Oldham and Jason Molina. And Kathleen Edwards and well selected Ryan Adams (though saying Gillian could be construed to reference both him and Dave Rawlings.)

Originally Posted by Dale Gribble

Yeah, I guess it is more blue grass. I'm basically looking for old country/blue grass albums. 1920's, 30's, 40's old.

I know the album came out in 1996 but Revival by Gillian Welch would likely keep you sane until you found yourself some actual old records. She has called her music "American primitive." She worked on (and sang a few songs for) that O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack, too. Her other albums are all fantastic (the Dave Rawlings Machine one too) but picking up what you're saying in this thread makes me thing Revival.

Re: Country Music

Joe Ely was the first country(ish) act I ever listened to. Because Joe Strummer was talking about how great he was and in 1980 Joe's recommendation was gold to me. Joe Ely is from Lubbock and in the late 70s/early 80s he played with this hot band with an accordian and a steel and they opened for the Clash and they rocked. (Inidentally, his steel player was Lloyd Maines, whose daughter is the ugly one in the Dixie Chicks). I probably saw Joe Ely at least a dozen times through the 80s and early 90s. His band changed and he eventually lost his songwriting touch, but still, he was extremely important in the formation of TomAz's musical tastes.